Gotham: 10 BEST Changes To The Comics
9. Barbara Kean
Unlike many things on this list, Barbara Kean had very little presence in the comics before the beginning of the show, and even less since it aired.
In the comics, Barbara Kean is primarily featured in Frank Miller's legendary Batman: Year One. Kean is a far-cry from her television counterpart, with her role in the comic being relegated as the unhappy housewife who is emotionally abused by an adulterous James Gordon.
Perhaps surprisingly, the first season of Gotham keeps her character in line with the comics: the loving girlfriend of James Gordon who begins to feel neglected by him and his dedication to his work. Barbara is portrayed as the damsel in distress throughout this season - until she willing murders her parents. It only gets crazier from here, when she is admitted to Arkham, is broken out of Arkham, and then wills her way to one of the top mob bosses of Gotham.
Barbara is eccentric and cunning and so much fun to watch. Her unpredictability became a driving force in the show, drawing faint lines of morality and leaving the possibility of redemption as anyone's bet as the series came to a close. Barbara Kean's transformation from a passive housewife in the comics to a criminal mastermind in the series is one of empowerment, and certainly one to be thankful for.